Life-saving device.



B. ZOPFI.

me sAvlNG nevlce.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. l, 1913. 191,390,624, Patented May 18, 1915.

WITNESSES: i

fv/, M444@- /Z( ATTORNEY THE NORRS PETERS CO.. FHTC'LITHO.A WASHINGTON, D, CV

passenger.

narran sr si regar rauen LIFE-SAVING DEVICE. Y

Application nled December 1, 1913.

T0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, BALTHASAR Zorrr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Santa Rosa, in the county of Sonoma and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Life-Saving De* vices, of which the following is a specicat.

ships experience has shown that, for various reasons, there is still much unnecessary loss of vlife in cases of shipwrecks. Sometimes not enough belts are carried for all the passengers; or, in the shock and confusion of a shipwreck, a passenger will not know where to find the life belt, or the life belts have all been secured by the other passengers; again, it has frequently happened that, from false economy,lifebelts provided for ships have been made of a cheap material and are insuiciently buoyant to support the Moreover the ordinary life belt occupies yconsiderable space, which, on board ship, is limited.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a life saving device which will be extremely buoyant, occupy almost no space, will be the property of the individual passenger, and will be situated so as to be readily accessible to him.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure l is a plan view of my improved life saving device, deflated; Fig. 2 is a transverse section thereof, deflated; and Fig. 3 is a transverse section thereof, inflated.

Referring to the drawing, l indicates a traveling bag of the character known as a suit case, of any suitable material ordinarily used for this purpose, and comprising a body and a cover hinged thereto in the usual manner. It has preferably two handles 2 as my device is of suiiicient buoyancy to support two persons in the water.

3 indicates a rectangular rubber bag of length nearly equal to the interior length of the suit case, and to the bag near the middle, preferably at an edge thereof, is secured a metallic externally threaded tube l. This tube extends through an opening in the lock plate 5 of the suit case, and I preferably make this opening in the form of a slot 7 opening at the edge of the body of the suit case, and almost closed by the side of the cover of the suit case when the suit case is Specification of'Le-tters Patent.

ion.

Although life belts are carried on board Patented May 18,1915.

Serial No. 803,952.

locked. On said tube is a nut 8 screwed thereon which locks the tube in the slot 7. In the end of the tube is the casing of a pneumatic tire valve. In the suit case is secured by straps 10 either a bicycle pump 1l or a cylinder 12 of compressed air or both. When the bag is deflated it is covered by a strip Vl?) of canvas, which is used to protect the rubber bag from pimcture by sharp articles carried in the bag or by abrasion against ordinary articles therein.

|The bagis preferably used for carrying articles which the traveler is likely to need on vhis voyage. When the traveler reaches his berth on the ship, he removes these articles and iniiates the bag with the bicycle pump or compressed air cylinder until the bag substantially fills the suit case. In case of a shipwreck, the Vtraveler immediately runs to hisffberth and seizes the suitcase. It is preferable to secure a strap 14 around the suit case, which strap may be passed through the handles 2 and strapped around thebody of the passenger, thus preventing accidental separation of the suit case from the passenger. It has been found by actual trial that a suit Vcase of somewhat small dimensions equipped with my invention possesses sufiicient buoyancy to support in the water two persons of ordinary size.

A very valuable feature of my invention is thatv the bag when deiated occupies an extremely small space, and therefore does not reduce to any material extent the capacity of the suit case. If the traveler does not wish to be at thetrouble of inflating the bagV at the commencement of the voyage, there is very little danger in not doing so, as there is in nearly all cases quite suiiicient time to remove the clothes from the suit case and inflate the bag at the last minute.

A device of this kind, which will sustain a person in the water for many hours, voreven days if necessary, is of great value now that nearly all the ships are equipped with wireless apparatus by which persons at a distance would be at once informed of the shipwreck and its locality, so that a survivor does not have to keep afloat long before he is rescued. Y

I claim In combination with a traveling case of comparatively strong material having a slot opening in an edge thereof, a rubber bag l tire valve in said tube, and a loose sheet of" Vprotective, material 1n said case secured toV 2`Y Y u 1,139,624

y A 'in the presence Vof tWo subscribing extending through said slot and a pneumatic witnesses.

contained therein and having a lling tubeY rny hand BALTHASAR zoPFI.

one vside thereof independently of the bag'Y tnessest and extending over the bag.. Y y Y VFRA1\* :1sf l\'d. WRIGHT,

In testimony whereof I have hereunto Set.' D; B. RICHARDS.

V'CopiesV of `this, patent may he obtained for five cents each, by addresing the Commissioner ofV Patents, y

Washington, D. C. 

